the dough is combined with mashed mo tate toes, cheese and herbs and piped into a pan and deep fried. they look like fancy french fries. oh, my goodness. they're so light. here's an easy side dish. maple glazed carrots. >> i use baby peeled carrots. they all cook pretty much at the same time. this is real maple syrup. don't go chintzy on this part of it. >> reporter: forget canned cranberry sauce. try making fresh cranberry orange relish. >> cranberries, orange, sugar to taste. >> that's it? >> that's it. grind it as fine or chunky as you want. >> reporter: now serving a double duty, dessert. >> liz, i'm going to make cream puffs for dessert. about the size of a golf ball. >> reporter: using a pastry bag or plastic zipper bag, pipe onto a baking sheet and bake in the oven and fill them with homemade pumpkin mousse. your nose goes right to thanksgiving. >> automatic. >> reporter: thanks for teaching us how to do thanksgiving on a budget. >> inexpensive can still be delicious. >> the menu the chefs created cost $66. served six people. 11 bucks a head, fancy looking but not expensive. fo